


Addicted

by homray



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Emo, F/M, M/M, Multi, Payzer, vampire, ziam
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-20
Updated: 2013-08-11
Packaged: 2017-12-05 22:12:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 17,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/728460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/homray/pseuds/homray
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Liam. The most popular boy in school with rippling muscles and a sizzling hot body. Buddies with Harry, Louis and Niall. Even dating three girls at the same time would not make them jealous of each other. Everything seemed perfect until Zayn came around, throwing him into the abyss of self-doubt and confusion.</p><p>Zayn. The mysterious new transfer student with ear studs and intimidating tattoos. He had been living in secrets for as long as he could remember – secrets that he would share with no one. Until Liam. He felt that irresistible desire. He had to know Liam.</p><p>Danielle. A powerful witch and a spoilt brat who was obsessed with Liam. As far as Liam was concerned, she was the possessive kind of girl who liked to be in control. Undoubtedly, she disliked competition. Anything getting in the way between Liam and her would be destroyed, especially her arch nemesis- Zayn.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Zayn was panting. Quick gasps of air escaped his trembling lips as his chest heaved erratically. He quickly turned on the tap, scooped up some water with both hand and buried his face into his palms. He could not remember how many times he had woken up from the very same nightmare. Repeatedly, Zayn rubbed his face hard against his hands as if he was trying to wash something away. Something he desperately wanted to run away from. Something that was gnawing at his body, mind and soul. Something that was infiltrating into every fibre of him.

Suddenly, he halted. The sound of the running tap colliding against the sink echoed in the bathroom. Slowly, he lifted his head up and gazed at his lonely refection in the mirror. His skin looked pale. His hair was unkempt. His canines became sharp and pointed. His eyes were bloodshot. Crimson webs of blood vessels crept all over his eyeballs and popped out from his eyelids.

Zayn gasped.

Yet again he felt that burning desire.

His stomach twitched with hunger.

NO! PLEASE NO!

Zayn clenched his fists tightly and thumped them against the wall. A grunt of anguish was followed by soft whimpers. He was struggling to battle that strong temptation. Unfortunately, even yanking his hair was to no avail. Finally, he gave in. The light in the bathroom went off with a crisp click, plunging the room into inky darkness.

Zayn jerked open the fridge door, grabbed three beer bottles and gulped down all of their contents in one long swig. He rolled his eye back in extreme ecstasy. That satisfaction was so intense, so comforting and so beyond description that Zayn could forget himself and even the whole world, only craving for more.

Gradually, that longing inside him finally subsided as excitement coursed through his vains. Zayn sank to the floor and let out all the air in his lungs in a huge sigh of relief. He wiped away the remaining liquids on his lips with the back of his hands. The stripes of red left on his chin were glaringly conspicuous under the dim light of the fridge.

He relished the taste. It was even better than cocaine.

However, that feeling of contentment did not last long. An ever intense wave of hunger overwhelmed Zayn. He swallowed, his eyes wide open. It felt like the three bottles he consumed just now were merely appetizers. He needed much more.

But the fridge was empty. The supplies had run out. The three beer bottles lay forlornly on the floor – not a single drop was left.

Zayn hated moments like this more than ever. That immense burden of guilt weighing down on him seemed to contradict his basic instincts to survive. What was worse, he could stop neither of these feelings. They were all parts of him, like the angels and demons who were always arguing at the back of his mind.

He knew it was time to hunt.

~~~~~~~~~~

“…Catherine Walsh, a local high school student was found dead in the vicinity of the Central Park. The local police have suspected it to be an animal attack and would like to appeal for witnesses of the accident. The estimated time of death was 1 a.m. this morning. In light of the third animal attack of the month, the local police advice citizens to refrain from going out alone at night until the true cause of the serial animal attack is uncovered.”

Liam was eating his breakfast as he glanced absent-mindedly at the television. All of a sudden, he chocked as he heard the report. He felt the hair at the back of his hands stood up. What? Catherine Walsh is dead! What beast killed her? Liam could not believe the cheerleading captain he used to date was slaughtered by some sort of monster. He still remembered how calm she was as they watched horror movies together – probably the bravest girl he had ever dated. Although their relationship did not last long, Liam was still terrified by her death. After all, he used to love her.

Hearing such horrifying news was not a good start of the day, so Liam dispelled his fears by thinking about what was going to happen later that day. It was the start of a new school year! Liam could not wait to have pretty girls surrounding him any longer, with senior high ones sending flirtatious looks at him and some freshmen ladies jostling to get his autographs. He was also eager to meet Harry, Louis and Niall, wondering how much they had changed while he went to the United States during the holidays. St. Andrew’s High School, the legendary Liam is back!

“Spotless!” Liam’s mom exclaimed as she flicked away the last bit of dirt on Liam’s shoulder. “That’s my young and handsome prince!”

Liam adopted a few poses in front of the mirror, grinning from ear to ear. This is the cute one. This is the cool one. This is the macho one. Imagining a gorgeous girl standing beside him and taking a picture was already quite an enjoyment.

“Take your bags and leave! You don’t want to be late on your first day!”

Liam darted a glance at the clock on the wall and suddenly realised he had spent ten minutes admiring himself in front of the mirror. Shit! I gotta go!

“Bye mom.”

“Take care and have fun!”

~~~~~~~~~~

The first day is usually the best day of a school year. You see, after languishing in sluggishness for two or three months in a row, students must be dying to catch up with their friends. Also, the first day is free from any exam stress. But most importantly, you get to meet new people, the freshmen and new transfer students. Liam could not wait to have some new additions to his huge circle of friends and reinforce his position as the reigning superpower in the school.

“Oh my god. It’s Liam!” A bunch of girls whispered into each other’s ears and waved frantically at him, jumping up and down. “Hello, Liam!”

Liam beamed at them with a wink. “Hi~”

A babble of screams erupted within the crowd. Most of the girls had already whipped out their smart phones to take photos of Liam. Liam took a deep breath and continued his confident strides towards the classroom, just as he felt a buzz inside his pocket.

From Harry 07:24

Liam, where r u? tried 2 call u a hundred times! Come 2 Block B basement ASAP. The boys r all here.

To Harry 07:25

Now? The lessons r about 2 start.

From Harry 07:25

NOW!!!

To Harry 07:25

Coming.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Oh, Liam. You are finally here.” Louis waved at Liam, signalling him to hurry up. The other two boys were sitting on the floor with some photographs and newspaper in front of them.

“What is this about?” Liam sounded slightly displeased, “You better have a good reason for skipping the first lesson of the year.”

“It’s about Catherine Walsh, one of your ex-es ”Harry replied as he pulled Liam to the floor, “Oh, come on, Liam. This is not the first time you skip lessons.”

“She is dead, you know?” Niall’s voice was muffled by the muffin he was chewing.

“Of course, I was astounded when I heard the report this morning. They say it’s some animal attack or somethin’?”

“Yeah, that’s what they say. But we suspect she was killed by a vampire.” Harry claimed resolutely, his fingers pointing at a picture on the floor, ”Look, all the three victims’ve got bites on their necks, although there are bites elsewhere, too.”

“All the cat-like animals can produce bites like this.” Liam dismissed Harry’s claim with a wave of his hand, “Vampires? They just don’t exist. Clearly you have watched too much Twilight.”

“No, it’s definitely the work of a vampire!” Harry rebutted as he jabbed his fingers on the photos to draw Liam’s attention to the victims, “The wound consists of two holes each bite directly above the artery on the neck. A cat-like animal’s bite will be a round shape.”

Liam was rendered speechless. He picked up the picture from the floor and took a closer scrutiny at it. Harry was right – there is indeed something abnormal about the wounds. However, he still could not believe that vampires exist. They were merely fictional – a combination of the bat and human!

“I am still not convinced. It could be some… some new species of animals? I am sure the police won’t buy your vampire theory.”

“Believe whatever you want to, we are going to investigate this, with or without you!” Harry let out a snort of derision and snatched away the picture from Liam’s hand.

“Yes, with or without you.” Niall supported Harry and took another bite of his muffin.

“So, one last chance, are you in or not?” Louis asked earnestly.

Liam paused a while and finally gave in to peer pressure. “All right! I’m in!”

“Yeah! We are going to find that vampire and drive a stick into his heart!” Harry exclaimed as he threw his hands into the air, “Let’s save the town, folks!”

~~~~~~~~~~

When Liam finally arrived at his homeroom, the lesson had already started for twenty minutes. Liam took a peek into the classroom. Mrs Morgan, the Chemistry teacher was jotting down some notes on the whiteboard while half of the class was fast asleep. Great chance! Gingerly, Liam pushed open the back door and entered the classroom on all fours, searching for his seat while keeping an eye on Mrs Morgan. Shit! My spot is taken by Lydia, the girl who I refused to go out with a dozen times. But where else should I sit?

Liam stood up and looked around. Aha! Empty seat! Quick! Before Mrs Morgan…

“Oh hello, Liam~” Mrs Morgan suddenly spoke in such a loud voice that the whole class woke up. All eyes were on Liam. “Sneaking in from the back of the class and hoping that I won’t notice your absence for the previous half of the lesson? I just love students like you, wishing to outsmart your teachers. Come, let’s see if you have done your holiday homework.” The left corner of Mrs Morgan’s mouth curled up in a sinister smirk. “Write down the structural formula of 2-chrloropropane and describe its reaction with aqueous sodium hydroxide.”

Liam shuffled to the whiteboard and reluctantly took over the blue marker Mrs Morgan handed to him. What the hell is 2-chrloropropane? Prop is three carbon atoms? Or…or…or five? And how the hell can it react with sodium hydroxide?

“You’ve wasted two minutes of my time already, Mr Payne.” Mrs Morgan snorted, “evidently you did not revise your organic Chemistry. Anyone would like to help him?”

Nobody raised their hand.

“Come on, somebody help our poor Mr Payne. Or else somebody is getting a detention today.”

Liam’s heart sank as he heard the “d” word again. No! Not on my first day! Mom’s gonna be pissed off! Somebody help me please. Somebody help me!

“How about you, dear? You are the new transfer student, right?”

“Yes, Zayn. But…em.” A bright and sexy voice caught Liams’ attention.

“No buts! I don’t want to waste another minute any more. Just write whatever you know.”

The whole class’ attention shifted to another unfortunate victim. Zayn slowly walked up to the whiteboard, standing alongside Liam. When Liam handed over the marker, their fingers touched. Liam felt a chilling feeling all of a sudden as if he was electrocuted. Zayn beamed at him and reassured him, “Trust me. I know how to do this question.”

While Zayn were drawing arrows and letters on the board, Liam closely examined his saviour from head to toe, admiring the handsome new classmate. Stylish quiff. Long lashes. Ear studs and eye-catching tattoos. And the way he was wrote down the answers, so confident. Liam did not notice he smiled just by looking at this person he had not met before.

“Bravo, Zayn! We need transfer students just like you!” Mrs Morgan gave him a thumbs up as she repeated the mechanism for nucleophilic substitution reactions. “Now, you can go back to your seats. I’ll let you off this time, Liam, thanks to Zayn.”

“Would you like to sit with me?” Zayn asked politely. Liam’s eyes swept across the room. The seat beside Zayn was the only empty spot left.

“Sure.” Liam plunked his backpack onto the table beside Zayn’s.

“OK, now let’s take a look at nucleophilic addition, it’s usually the reaction between…” Mrs Morgan continued to hypnotise the class.

“Thanks, Zayn, for saving my ass just now.” Liam expressed his heartfelt gratitude, “I would have gotten a detention without your help. Mrs Morgan said you are a transfer student, right? Where’re you from?”

“Bradford,” Zayn replied, gazing into Liam’s eyes. “My father is… eh…he and my mom split up and I lived with my mom since. That’s why I got transferred here.”

“Oh, I am sorry.” Liam took out the Chemistry textbook from his backpacks. “You mom’s decision of moving here is a wise one. People here are really nice. I’m sure you will fit in here.”

“Thanks.”Zayn felt a tinge of warmth in his heart on hearing Liam’s compliment. It startled him. Warmth. A feeling so distant to him. He felt it! Zayn’s smile on his face faded. Who is Liam? What magical power does he possess? The warmth grew more and more intense as Zayn kept on staring at Liam’s face. Zayn enjoyed this feeling. Or should he say, he enjoyed Liam.

“What’s wrong, Zayn?”Liam sensed Zayn’s confusion, “Zayn?”

“Nothing.” Zayn replied and put on a smile again. “It’s just. I am glad to be your deskmate.”

“So am I.”


	2. Chapter 2

Lunch time! Students threw away their books and calculators, grabbed their smart phones and sprinted towards the school canteen. Within a few minutes a long queue snaked in front of the canteen vendor and students started to occupy seats in one way or another. Harry was no exception – he always wanted to be in the front part of the queue and the boys had relied on him to reserve seats for them. You see, it is not easy to find a table with four empty seats once you are too late. 

“Liam, here~!” Harry craned his neck and waved at Liam, whilst keeping an eye on the seats he reserved.

“Hi, Harry. Hi, Lou. Hi Nialler~” Liam greeted the boys as he plopped down his tray.

“Hi Liam~” Niall looked up at Liam while munching his beef burger. Tiny bits of bread flew out from his mouth. “Sorry, I should have waited for you, but I was too hungry. I…”

“It’s OK. It’s OK. Just keep on eating, Nialler. I am used to that already.” Liam stopped Niall straight away, afraid that he would choke himself. 

“So, how’s your first lesson, Liam? Did you get caught?” Louis asked out of concern, stuffing a small sausage into his mouth.

“Yeah, did you? Lou, Niall and I were all safe since the first lesson in our class was maths, we just sneaked in through the back door.” Harry asked.

“I tried to sneak in from the back, too, but my first lesson was Chem and the rest is self-explanatory.”

“Mrs Morgan?” Louis gasped.

“Detention?” Niall’s jaws dropped.

“I am so sorry, Liam.” Harry threw a pitiful look at Liam and gave Liam’s left shoulder a pat.

“Did you know she asked me to do a question on the whiteboard in front of the whole class? I thought I was doomed! My mind just went blank, you know? But luckily, a new transfer student helped me out. His name is Zayn and he is my desk mate now.” Liam accounted the whole incident while the rest of the boys listened attentively.

“Wow, this Zayn guy must be a genius, then?” Louis asked.

“Yeah, but he’s definitely not a nerd.” Liam pointed out, “He’s got tattoos and ear studs.”

“Wow, I could only imagine Mrs Morgan say “This is the kind of transfer student I need.”.” Harry imitated Mrs Morgan’s high-pitched voice and laughed.

“She did say that!” Liam and the boys burst out laughing. “Oh, I’m kind of thirsty. Do any of you want a drink? ”

“Grape juice, thanks.”

“I want whatever Harry wants.” Louis winked at Harry and smiled.

“Make it three~” Niall added, keep on munching his beef burger.  
~~~~~~~~~~

On Liam’s way back to his seat, he accidentally saw Zayn, he was eating alone on the staircase. What happened to him? There are plenty of empty seats around. Why is he all by himself? Liam wondered as he strolled towards Zayn and greeted him, “Hey, Zayn! Why are you sitting here alone? You can’t find a seat?”

“I… I have asked around and it turns out that nobody wants to sit with me.” Zayn paused a while before replying Liam.

“How is that possible? You are such a nice guy. Never mind, you can sit with me. Let me introduce you to some of my closest buddies, too.” Liam extended out his left hand towards Zayn while holding a tray with four bottles of grape juices on his right hand. “Would you like some grape juice, too? It’s on me.”

“Eh…yes, please. Thanks.” Zayn grabbed Liam’s hand and got up.

He felt pulses of warmth gushing into his arm through Liam’s palm. He could sense Liam’s heartbeat – calm, rhythmic and… DELICIOUS. No. I can’t feed on him!Zayn took a deep breath and loosened his grip on Liam’s hand in an attempt to contain his cravings. I just can’t.

“Zayn, are you all right? You hand feels all cold and sweaty.” Liam furrowed his brows as he felt that familiar chilling sensation.

“Oh, I am fine. Don’t worry. It’s just…I’ve got a heart condition and my blood circulation is not good.” Zayn explained and put on a grim smile to disguise his insecurity. He knew he had to lie. Zayn heaved a long sigh as Liam nodded and turned around to buy another bottle of grape juice.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Guys, allow me to introduce to you the hero who saved my ass, Zayn Malik, also known as my new desk mate.” Liam extended one hand in Zayn’s direction and placed the tray of grape juice at the centre of the table. Three bottles disappeared in an instant. “And this is Harry, Louis and Niall, my best friends.”

“So you are that genius Liam’s been talking about throughout our lunch.” Harry remarked, “You look cool, man. I love your tattoos.”

“Nice to meet you, genius.” Louis greeted Zayn as his lips curled up in a smile.

“You are friends with Liam, You are friends with us.” Niall welcomed Zayn and took a sip of his grape juice.

“You’re smart right, Zayn?” Liam asked a rhetorical question, “I think you would be of great help to a project that we have been working on.”

“Sure. What is it? Are you guys preparing for a presentation or something?” Zayn complied with Liam’s request without even thinking about it, but soon he was about to regret his decision.

Liam glanced around and signaled the boys to form a “human wall”, while he leant over and whispered into Zayn’s ear, “It’s about Catherine Walsh, my ex-girlfriend’s death.”

Zayn’s pupil suddenly dilated in fear. A strong sense of foreboding crept into his mind. It sounded almost like a threat, as if Liam KNEW. Zayn froze. But that warm breath brushing across his ear and that sexy baritone echoing in his mind were so intoxicating. Zayn did not know how to react.

“I assume you’ve watched the morning news that the police claim she was attacked by some animal. However, we don’t think so.” Liam continued, “We think a VAMPIRE did it.”

Liam’s emphasis of the word “vampire” was tantamount to plunging a wood stick straight through Zayn’s heart. Zayn’s heart pulsated and his jaws twitched with apprehension. No! This can’t be happening. They knew!

“Come on, a vampire?” Zayn did what he did best – to lie, “how can they possibly exist in the real world? As a science student, I’m not convinced that human can hybridize with bats – their genes are just too distinct to overlap.”

The other four boys pondered Zayn’s rebuttal for a while and exchanged their thoughts.

“You’ve got a point Zayn.” Louis nodded his head in agreement.

“You are so smart, Zayn!” Niall gave Zayn a thumbs-up.

Two boys’ positive comments eased Zayn’s apprehension. It seemed not so difficult to dispel their suspicion. Unfortunately, his moment of relief was transient as Harry soon offered an alternative theory. “What if vampire is not a hybrid but a creation of the magic? Both the Vampire Diaries and Twilight series have got magic, withes and even werewolves, right? What if there is really a supernatural creature roaming around?”

“Oh, Harry, you scared me!” Niall inhaled a deep breath, jerking his hand up to cover his mouth.

“Now you’re talking about witches and werewolves?” Liam snorted as his eye brows knitted together, “You’re obviously obsessed with those vampire fictions.”

“But Catherine’s death resembles those in the movies so much!” Harry still refused to let go.

“Even if vampires do exist, shouldn’t we leave them to be dealt with by the police? Won’t it be dangerous if we investigate this?” Zayn delivered a wonderful closing argument and even Harry agreed to stop their investigation. The tight knot inside Zayn’s heart finally untangled. It was so close. I should really watch out next time.

“So this is it - no more investigations, then.” Liam’s voice sounded melancholic all of a sudden, “But I hope that whatever killed Catherine could just stop its killings. It’s just…just too painful to hear that someone you care about is dead.”

Scalding tears blurred Liam’s vision as a sudden upsurge of grief swept over him. His chest heaved up and down. Harry, Louis and Niall all placed a hand on Liam’s shoulder while trying to comfort him with words of encouragement.

“It’s gonna be fine, Liam.”

“Don’t worry, Liam.”

“That monster is definitely gonna be busted.”

Zayn felt his heart being wrenched hard and the burden of immense guilt weighing down on his shoulders. He had never felt so guilty killing anyone before. He always thought that he had lost his humanity since the day he was converted, that he had become cruel and heartless. It was Liam. Liam made him FEEL again.

Who are you Liam? Why am I so different when I’m with you? Why do I feel sorrow when I see your glistening eyes? Why? I swear I will never kill anyone again, Liam. I swear to you. I just can’t stand seeing you so sad.

“Liam, that monster won’t kill again, you just have to believe it, ok?” Zayn leant over and wiped away a tear from Liam’s eye with his thumb. Liam nodded slightly as he swallowed. The way Zayn’s thumb slid across his cheek – so comforting – staunched Liam’s tears right away.

I promise you, Liam, I will never kill again.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Liam Payne was bored. It had been exactly two months since he changed his Facebook profile from “In a Relationship” to “Single”. Two months without a girlfriend! Can you imagine that? With one hand propping his chin on the table, he opened his G-mail, clicked “Select All” followed by “Delete” without even a glance at these e-mails. Why bother, anyway? What else would there be except some crazy fan-girl letters repeating those clichés? “Wanna hang out Liam?” “Let me taste some of your gravy, Liam.” Or even “Stick it in me, Liam.” with several nude photos attached. 

Yawn!

This kind of letters had never stopped jamming Liam’s mailbox even when he kept reiterating that he was not into one-night stands. Unfortunately, not having casual sex has its drawbacks. The fact is, Liam has needs. And neither his left hand nor the “magical lube” Harry and Louis introduced could do the job.

He knew it was time to find himself a girlfriend.

~~~~~~~~~~

Zayn Malik was depressed. No matter how hard he had tried, his promise to Liam was a little too hard to keep. After all, for a vampire that had never been on a diet before, abstaining from feeding on human was akin to depriving a starving teenager of his favourite chicken feet. You see, it was not that Zayn had not tried his best – he had experimented with every possible alternative food source he could think of: chicken blood, cow blood, horse blood and even rat blood (which he failed to even swallow, of course)!

Nothing had worked.

He was forcing a carnivorous self to change into a vegan once and for all and everyone including himself knew how it would turn out eventually – impossible.

“Arghhh~~~”Zayn growled vehemently as his body contorted on the floor in agony. Tiny beads of moisture gathered on his forehead. Hunger was all he could felt. His stomach twitched vigorously as if it was tied into a knot and being pulled at both ends.

You need blood. You need blood! YOU NEED BLOOD!!!  
An overwhelmingly loud voice yelled out at the back of his mind, threatening to control him.

But you can’t kill! You promised Liam!  
Another cuter, shriller voice rebutted.

Oh, great. The angel and demon. Here they come again.  
Zayn relaxed his tensed-up limbs and lay listlessly on the floor, waiting for yet another big fight between the two. Surprisingly, they reached a consensus pretty soon this time.

Who says you have to kill to get blood?  
~~~~~~~~~~~

Danielle Peazer was elated. She finally succeeded in changing her subject combinations and getting into Liam’s class, even at the expense of having to endure Mrs Morgan’s monotonous lecturing (Sigh!). Who do Mrs Morgan think she is! Danielle had always despised her Chemistry teacher from the bottom of her heart. You call that Chemistry? See the potions my grandma and I have concocted – that’s Chemistry!

Yes, Danielle was a witch, and quite a black sheep of her family. She could not remember how many times she had been scolded for abusing her powers, whether it was for setting ablaze her classmate’s hair, summoning a toad onto a teacher’s head, or most recently, making that girl sitting behind Liam contract diarrhoea so that she could take her spot.

Not treating witchcraft seriously is the number one taboo for witches. However, Danielle seldom received severe punishments from her grandmother. That could probably explain why she always behaved like a spoilt brat. After all, since her mother died giving birth to her, Danielle was the sole heir to her ancestor’s legacy. Although her grandmother often worried that Danielle would someday get into serious trouble, she was too benevolent to punish the only apple in her eye. Danielle, sadly, lost her mother too young.

After months of planning, negotiating and preparing, Danielle was finally only a metre away from her dream lover. She had never spent so long in front of the mirror – for entire three hours – just to figure out how much chest area (i.e. boobs) she should reveal. Shouldn’t be too covered up to catch Liam’s attention. Shouldn’t be too revealing to make Liam think I’m a slut.

She could feel her heart thumping hard against her ribs like a rabbit in a cage whenever Liam turned to his desk mate and laughed at his jokes. What a smile – exuding enthusiasm yet maintaining that gentlemanly demeanour. Danielle pictured her kissing Liam on those soft lips and made a dreamy expression with her lips pursed, just as Mrs Morgan’s voice threw her off guard.

“Danielle, would you tell us the distinguishing test for carbonyl compounds?” Mrs Morgan surely knew when to ask a question to embarrass a student.

All eyes were on Danielle. Everybody stared at her pursed lips and her fearful round eyes. Danielle’s mind went blank. Her cheeks reddened with shame and became scorching in an instant. She did not know whether it was because she was embarrassed or Liam was staring right into her eyes - right in front of her! Damn those beautiful eyes! How am I supposed to answer the stupid question looking into Liam’s eyes!

Come on, Danielle! Think! You don’t want to get a detention! You have a Liam to impress after school!  
“Use two-four-di…di…di…”Danielle muttered out incoherently. Shit! What’s that super-long name of the compound? Repeating the “di”(die) also seemed rather inappropriate when Danielle fixated her eyes on Liam’s.

“Two-four-dinitrophenylhydrazine.” A murmur from beside Liam tried to help out.

“What?” Danielle failed to capture the answer.

“Two-four-dinitrophenylhydrazine.” That murmur repeated, this time a little louder but still quite soft.

Thank God! Danielle wiped away the veil of sweat on her forehead and answered,”two-four-diphenylnitrohydrazine.”

Mrs Morgan paused for a while and Danielle saw Liam’s deskmate shaking his head. She was still incorrect in the end.

OH NO!  
“Well, wrong, but close. Anyone helping her out?” Mrs Morgan took a sweeping glance at the class and asked. Of course, she did not expect any replies. Nobody responded, anyway. Mrs Morgan let out a chuckle and whipped out a yellow notebook, also widely and publicly known as “the Death Notes”.

Shit! Danielle’s eyes were already glistening with tears.

“Save her, Zayn!” Liam tugged at Zayn’s elbow and requested, while throwing Danielle a sympathetic look.

“If there is no one… Sorry Danielle, you know the rules. I’ll have to…” Mrs Morgan had already uncapped her pen when suddenly a hand thrust into the air. Mrs Morgan’s eyes lit up.

“Two-four-dinitrophenylhydrazine.”Zayn blurt out the correct answer with aplomb.

“Correct!” Mrs Morgan nodded in agreement as a round of applause erupted in the classroom. “In the end, still, only my favourite Zayn knows the answer.”

The corners of Zayn’s lips curled up in a captivating smile as Liam gave him a thumbs-up.

“Thank you, Zayn.” Danielle said to Zayn but her eyes were still gazing at Liam.

“Don’t thank me. Thank Liam. I wouldn’t have saved you if not for him.” Zayn beamed at Liam again.

I wasn’t grateful for you anyway. Danielle thanked Liam instead, blotting away her tears using a piece of tissue paper.

“You are welcome.” Liam glanced this girl from head to… well… boobs and winked at her.

Danielle was electrocuted. It seemed her three hours in front of the mirror was a worthwhile investment.

Oh Liam. Please love me. Please love me! PLEASE LOVE ME!!!  
~~~~~~~~~~

Lunch time. The school canteen was bustling with hungry teenagers eager for their next meal. Impatiently, Liam waited for his food, twiddling his thumbs as the long queue in front of him crept forward. Come on! Hurry up and move already! What’s taking you so long! Liam mumbled in his heart when he felt a buzz in his pocket.

From Harry 12:14 am  
Liam! Whr r u? Nialler has finished his meal already!

From Niall 12:14 am  
Li. Help me buy another fish &chips. Thx J

To Harry 12:15 am  
Comin’

To Niall 12: 15 am  
Sure.

Actually, Liam should not be blamed for being late for lunch with the boys. Mrs Morgan made him stay back after her lesson again. This time was because he faked his lab report data. Poor Liam. His hydrochloric acid spilled all over the bench during that stupid titration experiment. How was he supposed to collect data, then? I should have copied and modified Zayn’s answer! But it was too late. Mrs Morgan had already arranged a make-up for him that afternoon.

Just as Liam was complaining to himself about Mrs Morgan and his failed experiment, Zayn squeezed through the push and tug of the crowd and jostled his way towards Liam, engendering a stream of expletives.

“What the f**k, man!”

“Why the f**k do you cut the queue!”

“Shut up! I’m not here to buy food.” Zayn snarled back to quell the crowd’s discontentment.

Yes, he was not. Zayn was there for Liam, of course.

“Hey, Zayn! Why are you here?” Liam could not contain his excitement for seeing Liam, after waiting in the queue for what seemed to be eternity, “You eaten?”

“Yeah. The boys want me to check upon you, especially Niall.”

“Of course, tell him I’ll be quick.” 

Zayn and Liam looked at the long snake in front of them and both heaved a sigh.

“Damn! It’s like waiting for a pop star to sign an album!” Liam muttered, throwing his arms up in despair.

Ziam gave Liam a pat on the shoulder and reassured him, “That’s what I’m here for. What do you want to eat?”

“Beef steak and spaghetti, but Zayn, don’t tell me you want to…”

“Just go and find the other boys.” Zayn threw Liam a wink and smirked.

And before Liam realized it, Zayn had disappeared into the crowd.

 

How could he move so fast? He was gone like a flash!  
Liam could not see the smile on his face.

~~~~~~~~~~

Liam had no problem identifying where the boys were – Niall was standing there and wind-milling his arms madly. However, the problem was he accidentally bumped into a girl on his way to the table and very unfortunately, the cup of strawberry ice blend she was holding landed right on her face!

“AH!!!!!”

Liam swore that was the loudest scream he had ever heard in his life. He thought he had lost his hearing in that moment. That ear-splitting shriek tore through all the chit-chatting and laughter in the canteen. Awkward silence prevailed, but only for a few seconds, before the canteen erupted with an even louder wave of noise.

All of a sudden, Liam and the girl became the centre of attention. Circles of people surrounded them. Some yelled vulgarities. Some pointed a finger of accusation at Liam.

Liam gasped and stooped over that girl covered in a bloody mess (literally). Oh shit! What have I done!He was utterly embarrassed. He was frozen to the spot. His heart was replete with guilt.

“I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry…” Liam did not know what else to do but to keep apologizing.

“What the hell is wrong with you!” That girl snapped furiously and brushed aside the heap of ice blend on her face, “How dare you…”

Liam was ready to take what ever harsh words she could possibly throw at him. But the girl halted, and her voice sounded kind of familiar.

“Liam? It was you?” The girl’s voice was completely free form anger all of a sudden. 

“Danielle?” Liam suddenly felt the burden of guilt on his shoulder was much relieved, “I’m sorry that I …”

“It’s okay. It’s just an accident. I…I totally overreacted.” Danielle was now beaming at Liam, her cheeks rosy (perhaps because of the ice blend?), “I…I should go and clean up.”

With no more drama to watch, the people around the two resumed their usual activities.

What the hell just happened? I just did such a horrible thing to her and she just walked away? It all happened too fast for Liam to register.

~~~~~~~~~~

“So she just went to the toilet and that’s it?” Zayn asked in disbelief.

“Yeah. Unbelievable, right?” Liam echoed Zayn’s view and the four boys watched Liam gulping down his spaghetti.

“She likes you! Dumb ass!” Harry sounded all gossipy.

“No. Even a dumb ass can see that!” Louis totaled agreed, exchanging gleeful looks with Harry.

“Why else do you think she’s not mad at you?” Niall licked away the salt on his finger from the chips and added, “Ask her out already, Liam! It’s gonna be your LUCKY DAY~”

Niall literally sang out the last two words. Harry and Louis joined in the song as the trio danced clumsily with the music.

“All right! I’ll have a “shot” at her. ” Liam accentuated that dirty word and smirked. 

“That’s my boy. Haha!” Harry let out a loud guffaw and slapped Liam hard on the back.

All of the boys were in convulsions on hearing Liam’s nicely-put dirty pun, except Zayn. His heart sank. Zayn gazed into Liam’s breath-taking eyes as if he wanted to pour out all of his emotions towards Liam, to express how he felt every minute of every day.

But Liam, you just could not get it, and probably would not ever.  
Deep sorrow coursed through Zayn’s vampire veins, robbing his already starving body of its remaining energy. That pain felt ever more intense picturing Liam with Danielle together, doing things that he could probably never do with Liam, kissing him, hugging him, making love with him. One moment Zayn felt the urge to sink his canines into Danielle’s neck and suck her dry in seconds. The next moment he thought of his promise to Liam.

Oh Liam. I promised you I will never kill again. How could I let you lose someone you love again? I know I want you. I know I want to be with you. I know I want to spend the rest of my fucking vampire life with you. But above all, I want you to be happy.  
“Hey, Zayn, you don’t know the song LUCKY DAY?” Liam asked, beaming at Zayn, “or you are too embarrassed to sing in front of us?”

How could Liam understand the emotional turmoil Zayn was going through!

“S…Sure.” Zayn started to sing, a grim smile plastered on his face. But his heart was sobbing.

I will keep my distance, as long as you are happy.


	4. Chapter 4

The door creaked open. A stream of light penetrated the inky darkness and white clouds of water droplets drifted out of the room. Wearing a white mask and a pair of white gloves, Zayn glanced around for a few seconds before tiptoeing in, gently shutting the door behind him. 

After a minute of two, he tiptoed out, looking a little awkward as his belly was protruding out in an unnatural manner. He continued to look around anxiously as he jogged unsteadily along the hallway, clasping two plastic bags full of crimson fluid in his hands. 

All of a sudden, a loud blast of the alarm threw Zayn off guard. Red lights flashed above him, signaling the urgency of the situation. Crap! They’ve got me! His heart skipped a beat as the muscles on his thigh tensed up uncontrollably. His slow jog immediately became a sprint. Unfortunately, intercepting Zayn at the end of the hallway was a furious nurse.

“What are you doing here?!” 

Zayn halted. His pupils dilated in fear.   
~~~~~~~~~~  
“Now, it’s official - Liam and I are an item.”

Rumour travels by the speed of light. This was the case for Danielle’s tweet which was retweeted for over a thousand times within hours. The news took the whole school by surprise. Danielle was never among the most popular girls and was suddenly dating the hottest guy in school. Who knew what kind of spell she had cast on him? They had known each other for less than a week, for heaven’s sake. 

Surprisingly, instead of becoming the public enemy for the girls, Danielle had obtained more than admiration and respect. She now owned an assistant, Eleanor and even an online fandom to whom she shared tips for dating boys. It was nice to be worshiped - at least for Danielle - who used to be just a back-up dancer in the Western Dance Society. Now, she became the leading dancer in the upcoming school public show. All thanks to Liam. 

Liam was initially doubtful whether he was really falling for Danielle. This relationship, unlike the previous ones, grew too fast for him to register. Exchanging number on the first day. Going to the movies on the second day. By the weekends Liam was already invited to her house. For a guy as gentlemanly and reserved as Liam, it was abnormal for things to happen at such a fast pace. True, Liam could not deny that Danielle is attractive. He could not resist his desire to go out with Danielle. However, he sensed something was not right. He could feel the presence of looming danger but could not explain what it was. 

“Hey, there you are, my sweet heart. Sorry I am late. You must be very thirsty. Want a drink?” Danielle waved at Liam wildly and passed a bottle of herbal tee to Liam. 

“What is it? It tastes weird.” Liam took a gulp and furrowed his brows. 

“Herbal tea. Ancient Chinese flavour. It helps to replenish your qi” The left corner of Danielle’s lips curled up in a smug smile. 

“Oh, I think it’s working for me. I could feel energy travelling in my body!” Liam exclaimed and pointed to his stomach.

“So, Liam, this Saturday night at my house, right?”

“Sure, can’t wait.” Liam replied without any hesitation.  
~~~~~~~~~~  
“Hey Liam, don’t forget the party this Saturday night. ” Harry reminded, staring right into Liam’s beady eyes.

“Sorry, got plans already.” Liam turned down the offer, shrugging his shoulders in dismissal.

“But you promised us, Liam. It’s been ages since we last got tipsy.” Niall stared at him with his innocent blue eyes, but it was to no avail. 

“Let me guess, you got PLANS with Danielle? I can’t believe you choose your her over us, AGAIN!” Louis snapped in response to Liam’s indifference, his brows knitting together.

“She’s my girlfriend, you know?” Liam retorted in fury. He slammed his fists on the lunch table, grabbed Louis by the collar and lifted him out of his seat. Curious onlookers surrounded their lunch table.

“Chill, dude. I’m just saying, you only know each other for less than a week and... ” Louis did not even finish his sentence when Liam’s massive fist punched his nose. 

“Hit him!”

“Yeah!”

The crowd bubbled with excitement as Liam’s fist sunk into Louis’ face, despite Niall and Harry’s concerted effort at separating the two irrational beings. The heavy impact immediately caused Louis’ nose to bleed like a tab. Liam was, after all, a boxer with rippling muscles all over his body.   
So consumed by rage was Liam that he did not realise how hard he had hit one of his best friends until Louis’ uniform was stained with blood. Smart phone cameras flashed over an on-the-floor Louis and in front of a stunned Liam. 

“Oh my god, Louis! Are you all right?” Harry squeaked in astonishment as he squeezed through the crowd and knelt beside Louis. His jaws dropping, Niall immediately stuffed two pieces of tissue paper into Louis’ nostrils. 

“What’s the matter with you, Liam? It’s like you’ve changed into a different person!”Louis choked out while shaking his head.

“Let’s go, Louis, Niall. Let him chill himself.” Harry helped Louis get back on his feet, pulling one of Louis’ arm over his shoulder. 

Three trays were snatched away from the lunch table. 

The crowd scattered, leaving Liam sitting expressionless in front of the huge lunch table. He felt the burden of guilt weighing down on his shoulders. What have I done? I have never hit Louis, no, I have never hit any of my friends before. Yes, I was quite angry, but Harry, Louis, Niall and I always sort it out. Something IS wrong with me. 

“Liam Payne. Please come with me. The principal wants to see you. Now.” The discipline master proclaimed with utter seriousness. The hair at the back of Liam’s neck stood on ends at the sight of his towering stature.  
~~~~~~~~~  
Since Danielle was busy preparing for the school public show, Liam went home with Niall, who did not stop chiding Liam for hitting Louis along the way. 

“You almost got suspended, you know? What were you thinking?” Liam owed Niall an explanation for his abnormal behaviour. 

“I did not know why but I was so angry that I lost my senses. I didn’t mean to hit him, I swear.” Liam’s voice was riddled with guilt.

“It’s really been a long time since we hang out together. Louis did not mean to blame Danielle. He just wanted you to come to the party. So, tomorrow first thing in the moring you will apologise to him, right?” Niall continued his lecture as he climbed up a flight of stairs, “Right, Liam?”

There was no reply. Niall swivelled around to look for Liam, only to find him losing consciousness and rolling down the staircase. Liam’s head bumped into the bottom stair with a dull thud. Blood trickled down his forehead. 

“Liam!!!” Niall screamed in fear as he sprinted towards Liam, kneeling beside and shaking his body. He clumsily fumbled out his smart phone and called an ambulance.   
~~~~~~~~~~  
“I...I’m...” Zayn felt sweat oozing out from the back of his neck. What could he tell the nurse anyway, that he was a vampire and was stealing blood from the storage room?

“Why are you still standing there? Can’t you see it’s code red?” The nurse snapped with rage, “Emergency room! Now! A guy fell down the stairs, you know?”

“Sorry, I’m new here.” Zayn started to sprint again. That was close! He thought he was busted red-handed(pun-intended). Thank god that alarm was not because of his intrusion. Quick as a flash, he entered a small room at the corner of the hallway. Within a minute, he went out, already changed back into his school uniform. He licked away the last drop of blood on the corner of his mouth. Satisfied. 

Zayn strolled down the hallway, thinking that next time he should really get his supplies at night. Suddenly, a familiar voice interrupted his train of thought. 

“Zayn?”

“Niall? Why are you here?”

“Liam fainted and fell down a flight of stairs on his way home.”

“What?” Zayn gasped as he cast a quick glance at the emergency room. Damn! The guy who needed blood was Liam!


	5. Chapter 5

“How is my poor Liam, Doctor Lee? Is his life in danger?” Liam’s mom choked out anxiously, her eyes brimming with tears and her chest heaving up and down.

“Calm down, Mrs Payne. I am afraid that your son is still in critical condition. A heavy blow to his head rendered him unconscious. We are able to stop the bleeding on his head, but he also has severe haemorrhage in his chest which requires a surgery immediately. However, we cannot perform the procedure without a blood transfusion.”

“Then give him the BLOODY transfusion then!” Liam’s mom barked out, her hands wrenching her shirt. 

Zayn was listening attentively to the unsettling dialogue between Dr Lee and Mrs Payne, when suddenly a strong and appetizing scent wafted into his nostrils and distracted him. A nurse leaving the Emergency Room carried a dozen sheets of gauze soaked in Liam’s blood. Zayn swore he had never smelt any blood that delicious throughout his vampire life. He clenched his fists tighter and tighter as he attempted to combat the onslaught of hunger. He felt like snatching the gauze from the nurse’s hands, squeezing and wringing it till the very last drop slips down his throat. Zayn’s canines started itching. 

“Unfortunately, your son’s blood type is AB Rh negative - the rarest one and we currently do not have his matching type in storage. I am afraid that if we do the surgery now without a blood transfusion, Liam would die of exsanguination- the excessive loss of blood. We need at least one donor to start the procedure.”

It suddenly occurred to Zayn why Liam’s blood would be so tasty and how he could rescue Liam. Zayn dug into his pockets for his smart phone. 

“W...What?” Mrs Payne’s hands began to tremble as her pupils dilated in fear. She gasped as she slumped on to the floor.   
~~~~~~~~~~  
“Bravo! This year our performance is going to be a roaring success!” The dance instructor sang out as she threw both hands into the air, “We shall call it a day then. See you gals tomorrow!” Danielle Peazer, lead dancer of the Modern Dance Society, effortlessly performed a summersault which landed on a split. Thunderous applause erupted in the crew, celebrating Danielle’s awe-inspiring breakthrough. 

Danielle bowed gracefully before striding to the backstage and whipping out her smart phone. She was about to check how many new Twitter followers she has gained. However, she had several missed phone calls from Zayn and when she saw Zayn’s most recent tweet, her finger froze. Without saying goodbye to her co-dancers, she snatched her backpack and darted out of the auditorium.

“Zayn? What happened?” Danielle said, busy catching her breath as she ran out of the school gate and intercepted a taxi.

“Liam fainted out of the blue and fell down a flight of stairs. He needs a blood transfusion ASAP. That’s why I have tweeted to appeal for blood donors.”

“What? How could he have fainted?” Danielle rolled her eyes and pondered. After a second or tow, she gasped. 

“Are you OK, Danielle? I heard you gasping.”

“I...I’m ok. I’m just a little shocked. Talk to you later.” Danielle hastily hung up the phone and told the taxi driver to change the destination. 

“Danielle? Danielle?!”  
~~~~~~~~~~  
The test result of Mrs Payne’s blood came back. Both Dr Lee and Mrs Payne shook their heads in disappointment. 

“Normally when one is Rh negative, one’s parents and children are most likely to have the same antigen. ” Dr Lee explained.

“But Liam’s father is on a business trip to Singapore. ” Mrs Payne bowed her head lower and lower.

“Then we have to wait for the donors.” Dr Lee said. 

Just as Mrs Payne felt his heart sinking into the abyss of despair, she noticed a queue was forming in front of the room where her blood sample had been taken. Apparently Zayn’s tweet has worked. Dozens of girls with flowers and get-well-soon cards in their hands waited in the line. 

Unfortunately, the first twenty samples were not transfusable. So were the next twenty. 

“Mrs Payne, don’t worry, we will find a match.” Zayn comforted Mrs Payne.

“You are Zayn, right? Liam’s desk-mate. He always talk about how smart you are. Why are you not taking the blood test?” 

“Oh, I...I...” The smart Zayn failed come up with a lie soon enough. He had no idea what a blood test for a vampire would be like. 

“Who knows if you are a match? Just have a shot!” Dr Lee agreed with Liam’s mom. Zayn felt obliged to have a needle stuck into his vein, but he feared what would happen if his blood enters Liam’s body. 

“AB Rh-negative! We’ve got a perfect match! We’ve got a perfect match!!!”

Zayn’s eyes widened in disbelief. Mrs Payne placed a hand on her chest and heaved a sigh of relief.  
~~~~~~~~~~  
“What? It was not the Love Potion?” Danielle felt the burden of guilt crushing down on her. “But I saw you put wormwood leaves into the jar.” Danielle snatched up a leaf and flashed it to her grandma.

“That’s not wormwood! That’s vervain leaves, the bane of vampires.” Danielle’s grandma snapped with fury, “That potion is for the identification of supernatural beings! Human consumption would lead to coma, shock and eventual death!”

“Oh no grandma! I had...I had Liam, my boyfriend, drunk it.” Danielle’s lips twitched uncontrollably as tears of remorse blurred her vision. “And he’s slipped into a coma.”

Without saying a word, grandma started granulating hurbs and casting spells. She did not scold Danielle at all, probably too tired of doing so. Also the generation gap made Danielle immune to her lecturing. Again, she had to fix the wrongs Danielle had committed.   
~~~~~~~~~~  
Zayn did not feel painful at all when the nurse inserted a needle into his arm. He thought of Liam’s gorgeous face and the gentlemanly way he talks and the warmth he felt was strong enough to distract him from any pain. Squeezing the little balloon in his hand, he was amazed to see that his blood looked absolutely normal, crimson and moderately viscous, exactly like a human’s. As for the blood type? It was probably because he has consumed too much and has every possible antigen in his system. He was glad that his blood could save the person he loved the most. He was not sure of it. But there was a possibility, however remote. Most importantly, if it could, Liam would be grateful for him forever!

Finally, the surgery was a success with the aid of Zayn and three other donors who all added “My blood saved your life.” on their get-well-soon card to Liam. 

“He’s stable now, Mrs Payne.” Dr Lee congratulated Liam’s mother when all those who volunteered their blood cheered in unison. Niall, Zayn, Harry and Louis wrapped their arms on each other’s shoulders and had a group hug. 

“Though he’s not conscious yet, visitations are allowed. And preferably a few relatives and friends could stay and accompany him through the night.” Dr Lee added.

“I’ll stay.” Zayn volunteered without hesitation.

“No, Zayn. You must rest after donating half a liter blood.” Mrs Payne insisted, “Thank you so much for what you’ve done for my little Liam.”

“You are welcome. Liam is my friend.” Zayn accentuated the “friend”. Claiming Liam as his friend would be such an understatement to him. Much as he wanted to sit beside Liam and watch him sleep till he wake up, he had no reason to stay, not yet, unlike her. 

“I will.” All heads turned to see Danielle. Everyone but Zayn was a bit surprised. 

“Who are you my dear?” Mrs Payne asked. 

“I’m his girlfriend.”

It pained Zayn every time hearing Danielle state her relationship.   
~~~~~~~~~~  
It was three o’clock in the morning. Danielle had been waiting for the opportunity all night. Mrs Payne finally succumbed to her drowsiness and decided to took a quick nap, leaving Liam fully under Danielle’s watch. Slowly, Danielle waved her hands in front of Mrs Payne who were slouching comfortably in the chair. Then, she snapped her fingers to double check. 

Mrs Payne was fast asleep. It seemed to be the perfect time. 

Surreptitiously, Danielle fumbled out an ampule from her backpack, jammed a syringe needle into the tiny container and emptied its content with one quick pull. Her heart was hammering against her chest. Inserting the needle into Liam’s vein was much harder than what she had imagined. To calm her nerves, she took a deep breath and looked around. She had to make sure no one would see her amending her mistake.

Finally, the needle poked into Liam’s vein as the yellowish solution in the syringe entered his body.

Beep! Beep! Beep! The shrill squeak blasting from the Electrocardiography monitor (ECG monitor) rendered Danielle dumbfounded and jerked Mrs Payne out of her less-than-five-minutes slumber. What? That was impossible! Grandma told me the antidote has no side effects! Danielle’s eyes widened as she gripped the chair handles tightly. 

“No, Liam! Nurse! Doctor Lee!” Mrs Payne yelled at the top of her lungs as she sprinted out of the room.

Liam’s heart beats fluctuated erratically as his body began to convulse. A few seconds later, he began to vomit lumps of black and viscous liquid. Danielle’s hands had already been slippery with sweats. For a few seconds, Danielle saw Liam’s eyes open before the readings on the ECG monitor flatlined and Liam rolled his eyes back. 

No! It can’t be! Liam can’t be dead!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 

Mrs Payne paced along the corridor, anxiously repeating her prayers. She begged God’s mercy on the only apple of her eye. (Well, Liam is an only child in this story.) Every electric shock Dr Lee applied to Liam shuddered her heart. Flooding her mind came flashes of memories, all of which reminded her of how great a son Liam had been. Liam took care of her when she was sick and his father was away. Liam interceded and glued the family together when her husband filed for a divorce. Liam made her proud when clenching the championship of the Wolverhampton Youth Boxing Tournament. To her, Liam was everything. She could not staunch her tears at the thought of the worst case scenario. She just could not lose him. 

Liam’s mother was not the only one who worried about him. Danielle’s eyes were bloodshot; she had not slept a wink. Niall woke up from a nightmare in which he fell down a flight of stairs just like Liam. Louis and Harry texted each other discussing Liam’s tragic incident till 2 o’clock in the morning. #getwellsoonliam started trending on Twitter. As for Zayn, his normal sleepless night just became more tormenting thanks to his conflicting thoughts. The bed he lay on had become a pool of sweat. He really hoped that Liam could make it through and continue to live like a normal human being. However, another part of him secretly wished that Liam would die so that Liam and him would be of the same species. Immoral as the thought may seem, having more in common would undoubtedly give Zayn greater access to Liam’s heart.   
~~~~~~~~~~~  
“Are you sure?”

“I swear, grandma. I was so scared. He just puked and puked and...” Danielle choked out, before starting to sob. 

“Black lumps you say? The antioxidant is meant to clear the body of any supernatural existence. It will react with a supernatural being’s blood and expel it out of the system. Black indicates vampire.” Grandma explained.

“What? Does that mean Liam is a vampire?” Danielle gasped, jerking her hands to cover her gaping mouth.

“There is such possibility. Or, there could be vampire’s blood in his system, which means?”

“Which means one of the donors is a vampire!”

“Here”, Danielle’s grandma turned over and snatched up a purplish-white flower, “This is vervain. Place it in water for two days and make your boyfriend drink it.”  
~~~~~~~~~~  
“Well, there seems to be only one student who can answer my question. ” Mrs Morgan just loved to torture her poor students with mind-boggling Chemistry puzzles, “Where’s my favourite student?”

Mrs Morgan waited for the reply which never came. 

“Zayn?” Mrs Morgan repeated and turned around, only to find Andy sitting in front of the obviously annoyed Danielle. “ANDY! Why are you in Zayn’s seat?” Mrs Morgan’s fury was loud and clear. 

“I...I...Zayn and Liam are on sick leave. So I...” Andy muttered nervously, his fearful round eyes begging for Mrs Morgan’s mercy. He just could not declare his crush on Danielle when every one was staring at him.

“So does that mean you can just ignore the sitting arrangement? Or you think you can outsmart my favourite student who owned this spot? Now tell me the trend of group one and group two cations reacting with alkali?” 

“Well...” Andy’s mind went blank.

“Well, see you at detention today!”  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
Zayn was gazing at Liam through the glass window on the Intensive Care Unit. Zayn was the first to visit Liam in the morning, with a flask of chicken soup he cooked in his hands. He could hear his heart beat, rhythmic but weak, indicating the stability of his state. He was aware that Liam was healing through the weakening scent of Liam’s blood. Liam could wake up in any minute, and Zayn wanted to be the first one Liam would see when he opened his eyes.

“Zayn, is it? I thought you should be in school by now?” Mrs Payne asked, her eyes bloodshot. 

“Well, I am quite concerned about Liam. Plus, he is my desk mate. Classes are boing without him.”

“Well, come on in~! Oh, Liam often tell me how smart you are and how helpful you have been for his studies.”Mrs Payne could sense Zayn’s affection towards Liam. He must be a really good friend. 

“Really? He talk about me?” Zayn was over the moon. 

“Yeah. Almost every day. ” Mrs Payne beamed at Zayn, “What’s that in your hand?”

“Chicken soup. I cooked it for Liam.”

“Wow, how I wish Liam could cook! He was always reluctant to help me, saying that cooking is feminine. You know, you parents must be really proud of you.”

Zayn hesitated for a moment as his facial muscles froze. Much as he would like to tell Mrs Payne that he was sort of an orphan, he felt obliged to lie again. After all, he did not even tell the truth to Liam, claiming that he had a mother. “Yes...Yes they are. Thanks, Mrs Payne.” 

“Now I just wish my Liam could wake up as soon as possible.” Mrs Payne choked out as another wave of emotion swept over her. Tears streamed down her face. 

“My fingers are crossed, too.” Zayn comforted Mrs Payne while staring at Liam’s expressionless face, “Dr Lee said he’s stable now. He could wake up in any minute.”

It was as though Liam had heard Zayn talk, or it could be purely magic, Liam fluttered open his eyes. 

“Oh my God! You are awake!” Mrs Payne exclaimed as she and Zayn sprinted to his bed.   
~~~~~~~~~~  
The boys were all dozing off in Maths class when suddenly each received the same text.

From Zayn 09:23am  
Liam woke up! Come NOW!

“Danielle, who told you you could leave your seat? Without my permission?” Mrs Morgan snapped in fury. Danielle strode out of the classroom without a word, completely ignoring her angry words. 

“Outrageous! This is outrageous! You are SO going to the principle’s office!!!” Mrs Morgan raised her voice to the extent that the entire block could hear her screaming. She snatched up the Yellow Book and scribbled down Danielle’s name. Her pen poked through the paper when underlining Danielle’s name trice. 

#thankgodliamsawake started trending on Twitter.   
~~~~~~~~~~  
“Mom. Zayn.” Liam smiled as he uttered the two names with great effort, his voice husky and dry. 

“Don’t worry, honey. You are going to be all right. ” Mrs Payne gripped Liam’s left hand, unable to staunch her tears of joy, “I am going to tell Dr Lee, right away!” Mrs Payne darted out of the room. 

Liam’s smile became a little wider. “Zayn, why are you not in school today?” Liam asked skeptically, his brows knitting together. 

“I told our form teacher that I was sick, too. Actually, I want to be the first one you see when you wake up.” Zayn stared right into Liam’s eyes. Liam could feel waves of emotions radiating from Zayn’s adorable eyes. 

“Really? Why?”Liam asked earnestly. A strange but authentic warming sensation built up inside him. He had no idea why he felt that way. It could be Zayn’s words. It could be Zayn’s piercing eyes. Or it could be the joy of survival. 

“Because I...” There was a moment when Zayn was about to say the three magical words. He lowered his body and leant towards Zayn, but then halted. It was not the right time. Not when there was nurses and Dr Lee and his mother around. He hesitated for a while, his eyes never stopped gazing into Liam’s, and lied, “Well, at least one of us should be here. The boys and Danielle are on the way.”

“Thanks, Zayn. ” Without his notice, Liam’s hands were already holding Zayn’s. Oh, Zayn’s fingers felt kinda cold even when Liam just regained consciousness, but that touch, the touch where the tip of Zayn’s thumb slid across Liam’s skin- it was magical. Liam immediately retrieved his hand as embarrassment shot through his veins. He turned away averted his attention to the beeping ECG monitor. 

Almost simultaneously, Zayn retrieved his hand, looked away and straightened his body. Did Liam like it? Zayn’s heart pulsated at the thought of their being together. Or was Zayn fooling himself? Zayn felt him collapsing into the abyss of despair. For a brief moment, Zayn was alternating between heaven and hell. It was the worst torture he had ever felt, even worse than being forced to drink vervain. It was all because of you, Liam.

“Liam?” 

Danielle’s voice was the least Zayn wanted to hear in this instant. It was a painful reminder of how Liam is straight and how he and Liam could never be together. 

“Liam, how are you feeling now?” Harry, Niall and Louis asked in unison. 

“I’m fine, thanks.” Liam was glad that all of his friends came at the risk of detention. 

“Well, not until I say so, excuse me, boys.” Dr Lee squeezed through the three boys clogging up the door. After Dr Lee’s examination, Liam demanded some time alone with Danielle. 

“Leave those two loves alone, shall we?” Harry signalled Zayn to wait outside the room. Zayn refused to budge. 

“Zayn?” Niall repeated.

Before he left the room, Danielle was serving Liam the chicken soup he had cooked! Zayn felt rage and jealousy boiling inside his body. That should have been me! Oh, Liam. How I wish I could tell you! Tell you how much I love you. I was the one beside you when you wake. I was the one who gave you my blood. I was the one who cared about you most! Why can’t you see that? I know I am shy, but we had a connection and you know it. Why did you reject me?   
~~~~~~~~~~  
“Liam says it’s okay if you guys leave now. Just me and Danielle would be enough.” Mrs Payne announced, “Again, thank you boys. Liam should be able to return to school in two days.”

“Oh, see you Mrs Payne.” All but Zayn said and waved their hands.

“Wait, can I have my container back at least?” Zayn’s tone smacked of bitterness. 

Mrs Payne thrust the container into Zayn’s hand and whispered to him, “Don’t worry, Zayn. I told him you cooked the soup.” The frown on Zayn’s forehead dissolved into a smile across his cheek. 

“Oh, come on Zayn! Even when my nose still bleeds, I am not angry with Liam any more. He’s bloody sick!” Louis patted Liam’s back, asking him to leave. 

“All right, we still have like three or four lessons to attend. ” Zayn groused and shook his head, “But wait, still a little soup left in the container. I’ll just finish it up.”

Zayn raised the container over his head and quaffed all the soup down in one swig. In an instant, a searing pain slid down his throat. Zayn’s eyes dilated in fear. He clutched his throat, coughed involuntarily, and spit the remaining soup in his mouth back to the container. A split second later, his stomach twiched with pain and his heart skipped several beats. No! How could it be? It was my soup!

Zayn hand known this feeling too well. It was vervain.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

“Zayn, what happened?” Niall inquired as Zayn slowly sank to the floor. Zayn’s face was as red as an apple. 

“He appears to be choking.” Harry suggested as he stooped over Zayn, “Come Louis, grab Zayn’s stomach and squeeze while I hold him still. Niall, hold the container in front of Zayn’s mouth.” 

“One...two...three!” Louis granted through gritted teeth, “One more! One...two...three!”

Five consecutive attempts all failed to alleviate Zayn’s condition. Zayn’s face had turned purple. 

“I know what’s going on here.” Danielle suddenly blurt out with aplomb. Rudely, she grabbed Zayn by the hair, pulled it with all her might and splashed a bottle of yellowish water onto his face, “Yeah. I know WHAT you are. Burn in hell, you vicious vam...” However, Danielle’s jaws dropped as Zayn’s face showed no reaction to her vervain water.

“Danielle! What are you doing?!” Liam yelled as he stepped down from the bed and staggered towards Zayn.

“Liam, you shouldn’t get out of bed yet!” Mrs Payne protested but was unable to stop Liam from jerking the needle out of his vein. 

Without hesitation, Liam opened Zayn’s mouth, sticked two fingers at the back of Zayn’s tongue and pressed. One gag reflex expelled all gastric content into the container. Zayn gasped for air and coughed while Liam’s massive hand patted his back. This time, Liam saved his life. He felt all the suffering that he had gone through was worth it. 

“Thanks Liam.” Zayn managed to express a few words of gratitude in between several hurried breaths.

“See, that’s the BONE of contention.” Niall pointed out, pointing at a chicken bone.

“What were you thinking, Danielle?” Harry asked in disbelief, his voice full of anger. 

“Why so much hatred towards Zayn?” Louis added fuel to the flame. 

“I...I thought...He...Zayn...Arrrrrgh!” Danielle stuttered and then let out a grunt of disappointment, “I’m sorry, Zayn.”

“You could have killed Zayn, you know? I know it’s my fault sometimes I play with Zayn and the other boys instead of hanging out with you, but I need some bro’s time sometimes. If you are not okay with it, just talk to me. But this? Venting your jealousy and rage on Zayn? This is just wrong, Danielle. He is innocent.” Liam felt obliged to defend Zayn. Danielle was really out of line this time. 

“Fine!” Danielle choked out as she stormed out of the room, her eyes brimming with tears.

“Danielle? Danielle?” Liam’s repeated calling was to no avail. Danielle disappeared from sight. On that morning, Liam left four voice mails and sent dozens of text messages, but Danielle gave no reply.   
~~~~~~~~~~  
“Hey, Danielle, is it okay if I join you for lunch?” Zayn asked, holding a tray of food in hand. 

“Leave me alone.” Danielle did not even look at him, continue scooping marsh potatoes into her mouth. 

“Come on, Danielle, are you still mad at Liam?” Zayn inquired. 

“Yeah. Of course I am. He had no clue what I had done for him. None of you does!” Danielle barked in fury.

“Well, explain to him then. You know that Liam is always honest with you. It is YOU who keeps hiding things from us!” Zayn probed step further. He knew there is only two people besides Liam having access to his soup and nothing happened while he was with Mrs Payne. Zayn must find out about Danielle, one way or another. 

“Danielle, you can tell me if you think something is wrong. I totally forgive you even after you threw water in my face while I was choking. I know you would never do that to a close friend for no reason. Trust me, your secrets are safe with me.” Zayn realised the importance of taking the moral high ground in this instant. Hopefully it would reduce Danielle’s suspicion of him. His sensitive tone and adorable eyes finally earned Danielle’s trust.

“Fine!” Danielle took a deep breath, looked around and signaled Zayn to sit closer. “I know this may sound crazy to you but there’s a vampire around us.”

Zayn’s heart pulsated at the mention of his species. His biceps twitched. The tray slipped form his hands and thudded onto the table. Horror swept over Zayn. Oh no! She knew who I am. She even knew how to hurt and kill me. Zayn placed his feet further away from Danielle. 

“How could you know that? A vampire? That’s the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard.” Zayn expressed his pretended belief as a disguise for his nervousness. 

“OK. I am only telling you this to make you understand why I mistakenly did those horrible things to you. I am actually a witch. ” Danielle revealed her secret. Zayn felt his heart being punctured by a dagger. His lower lip started to tremble involuntarily. 

“I know it sounds insane but it is true. Well, how about this - I am going to do something remarkable. Just don’t freak out. ” Danielle summoned her spirits and chanted a spell, her fingers splayed in front of Zayn’s chest. 

In an instant, Zayn felt the pendant on his chest vibrating, rising up and escaping his uniform. “What the hell?” Zayn gasped in awe. Quick as a reflex, Zayn grabbed onto the shiny piece of metal and tugged it back into his shirt. 

“Now do you believe me?” Danielle said, “Let me explain to you why there must be a vampire around us. To make sure I am dating a human, I gave him a supernatural indicator potion. Then after his blood transfusion, he tested positive for vampires. In your soup, I added vervain which can burn a vampire’s skin. Liam had no reaction after drinking it. When you choked on that soup, I thought that you are a vampire. I am so sorry I was wrong and splashed vervain all over you. However, one of the donors must be a vampire.”

“Well, that’s...that’s a lot of information to digest, but I can handle. So what are you going to do?” Zayn responded with composure. Zayn thought it would be wise to find out more before his cover blowed. 

“No wonder you are the smartest student in class. Further elaboration seems unnecessary. I’d really appreciate it if you could help me identifying the vampire. As you know, Liam tested negative and so did you. The vampire could only be another donor.” Danielle disclosed her reasoning. 

“Wait a minute, suppose this vampire thing really exist, won’t you put me and yourself in great danger if you try to identify and, you know, terminate him? ”

“Huh! Don’t worry. That’s a family business. Anyway, messing with a witch can put you in danger too. Don’t ever underestimate the things that I could do.” Danielle let out sinister chuckle and rolled up her sleeves. “So, are you in?”  
~~~~~~~~~~  
Many including Liam was baffled by how invincible he was - two weeks was all it took for him to recover from multiple fractures and a mild concussion. Only Danielle and Zayn knew the reason; vampire blood accelerates healing. Liam’s return to St. Andrew’s High School elicited a tidal wave of cheers and screams. As Liam strode down the corridor with sunglasses and an indiscernible smile, he resembled a model even in school uniform. Almost every girl (and Zayn) stared at him with admiration and cursed silently as Danielle wrapped Liam into her embrace and kissed him. Obviously the two love birds had buried the hatchet. 

“You know, Andy sat on your seat once during Chemistry class just so he can talked to me. ” Danielle whispered into Liam’s ear as Liam leant backward. 

“Really? Then I’m sure Mrs Payne gave IT to him right?”

“You bet! For two bloody afternoons!” Both covered their mouth to suppress their laughter. Liam ignored Zayn’s constant probes under the desk and as Zayn probed deeper, Liam hissed a “Stop it!” and gave him a middle finger. Liam had not really talked to Zayn since their awkward mutual staring in the hospital. Liam was scared. 

“Why is there always chit-chatting? Don’t tell me you know everything I am teaching, Mr Payne and Miss Peazer. ” Mrs Morgan snarled as she slammed her book shut.

It was then when Liam realised Zayn was trying to remind him of the impending doom. However, it was too late. 

“Tell me, Mr Payne, what’s the property of silver + ions?” 

Liam nudged Zayn to seek assistance. 

“WITHOUT anyone’s help?” Mrs Morgan demanded as Liam bit his lips. 

“Well...they are...they are... Shiny?” Liam’s cheeks reddened with embarrassment as the whole class burst out laughing. 

“Shiny? Ah ha ha ha~~~~ And your eyes are shiny too!” Mrs Morgan shook her head and chuckled. “Now, do you have an answer, Danielle?”

“Sure, they can kill vampires.” Danielle asserted with utter seriousness. The laugher in the classroom grew even louder. Zayn’s heart skipped a beat before he feigned a few chuckles. Danielle’s constant reminder that she is witch only added to Zayn’s insecurity. He had to be careful as if he was standing in a field of landmines which could explode with a single misstep. 

“So none of you knew the correct answer. Danielle, you know where you should be after school. As for Mr Liam Payne, I will let you off this time considering you just recuperated from a major injury. Oh yeah, I almost forget Liam Payne and Zayn Malik, please meet me in my office after school.”  
~~~~~~~~~~  
“What?” Zayn and Liam asked in disbelief. 

“Sure, don’t you think, Mr Payne, that you have some catching up to do when you claim that silver + ions are shiny? Haha still funny. I am gonna tell the joke to my other classes. You missed two weeks’ lesson and with the finals coming up, you could really use some help from my favourite student Malik. Plus, you and Zayn are friends, right?” Mrs Morgan blurted out a list of logical arguments that Liam could not refute. 

“As for you, Malik, not only can you consolidate your learning by helping Mr Payne, your voluntary work will be reflected on your Extra-curricular Activities Record. Such an experience can be valuable for university application. Any problem with that?” Zayn nodded his agreement and beamed at her, knowing Mrs Morgan would not take no for an answer. 

“All set! Now, you are officially the peer tutor of Liam Payne!”

The joy bubbling inside Zayn’s stomach was indescribable.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

“Liam, you have no idea how much you have changed me. Once I was a cold-blooded murderer who cannot resist the urge of killing and preying on human. But you awakened the human side inside of me. That’s why I can’t stop loving you.” Zayn confessed as he gazed into Liam’s eyes.

“Oh, Zayn. That’s sweetest thing I’ve ever heard. Danielle has never said anything like that. I think that’s why I love you more.” Liam whispered as he grinned from ear to ear and gently stroke Zayn’s hair with one hand. 

Zayn’s heart thumped against his ribcage as they leant closer and closer towards each other. Slowly, Liam shut his eyes and slightly pursed his lips, awaiting Zayn’s action. Their lips touched. Their tongues entangled. Their fingers interlocked. Their breaths mingled. The emotions transmitted through the kiss threw Zayn onto cloud nine. Zayn reached his hand beneath Liam’s shirt, knowing that both of them wanted more. 

Just as Zayn was about to unbutton his shirt, the door burst open with a loud bang. They were busted by a powerful witch. Her palms pointing Zayn, Danielle cast a spell which hurled Zayn onto the wall. Liam’s screams and cries were to no avail. With one swinging motion, Danielle rammed a silver blade dipped in vervain through his heart. 

“NO! NO!~~~~~” 

Zayn sprung up from his bed, hurriedly catched a few breaths and stared into the darkness with his fearful round eyes. Sweat poured off his forehead and soaked his bed. He quickly sprinted to the fridge, took out a bag of blood and tore a corner open with his canine. One hard squirt replenished some energy lost in his horrendous nightmare. Zayn rubbed his hand against his chest to calm his nerves, feeling the fresh nourishment diffuse into his bloodstream. 

Thank god it was just a nightmare. Zayn was parinfully aware that once Danielle had sensed presence of a vampire, there would be no room for errors.   
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
A van slowed to a stop at the back of Wolverhampton State Hospital. A man donned in chemical protective equipment hopped down from the driver’s seat and opened the back of his van. Obviously, his arrival was expected by a hospital staff. After the brief exchange of greetings, the staff pressed a button on a remote. A roller shutter with a huge Biohazard warning printed on it purred up slowly. Barrels of chemicals and bags of medical waste were loaded onto the van.

“Thanks, Mr Smith. See you on Thursday!” The staff shouted and waved the man goodbye. Little did he know that the man would never return. The van turned around a corner and screeched to a halt. 

“Got it?” 

“Got it.”   
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Before Zayn became his tutor, Liam never knew that he could be interested in Chemistry. Nor did he knew that study hall could actually be productive. Strangely, it seemed that having Zayn around could dispel all his boredom, though he was often, ironically as it may sound, distracted by Zayn’s attentiveness. Also, Zayn never hesitated in answering his questions and clarifying his doubts. No wonder his mom always lectured him that being around a top student makes you a better student. But could there be another reason?

Although Liam and Zayn saw each other almost every day, they discussed nothing other than academics. This bugged Liam as he felt they had so much to talk about since the episode in the hospital. Like why Zayn brought him chicken soup and why Zayn pretended that it never happened after Danielle threw the soup into Zayn’s face while he practically had a cold war with his girlfriend. Indeed, Zayn is smart and hyper-rational and Liam knew that bottling up one’s feelings is unhealthy. However, Liam found it hard to communicate when all Zayn talked about were mathematical equations and chemical properties. 

“See, if you look at the oxidation state of silver, it remains the same throughout the reaction. So this is not a redox reaction.” Zayn explained as he pushed his spectacles further into his nose, exuding intelligence. For some reason, Liam got carried away and unknowingly shifted his attention to Zayn’s moving lips instead. 

“Hey, Liam. Are you with me?” Zayn asked as he waved his hand in front of Liam’s eyes. It was then that Liam realised what a fool he had made himself of. 

“Sorry, I was thinking about something else.” Liam was most apologetic, “How can you stay focussed for such a long time?”

“It’s only been twenty minutes, Liam.” Zayn darted a glance at his watch and reminded Liam. A chuckle escaped his mouth. Liam’s cheeks suddenly reddened with shame. He averted his eyes and stared at the textbook again.   
~~~~~~~~~~  
“Now, we are in!” Zayn exclaimed as he his fingers typed frantically on the keyboard. 

“Wow! You ARE a genius.” Danielle encouraged and gave Zayn a thumbs up. “You are able to access the list of blood donors right?”

“Already done.” Zayn spoke with confidence. A single click on the screen revealed 10 serial numbers. 

“Now, the rest should be a breeze. Un huh! I think I found them. BTF0125 to BTF0134 you say?”

“Correct.”

Like a mad scientist, Danielle plunged a needle into a blood bag, injected a syringe-ful of distilled water and shook the bag before pouring its content into a labeled test tube. 

“See, I know how to do a qualitative analysis without listening to that bitch. She had no idea how many practicals I have to do every day.” Danielle said smugly as she repeated the procedure for another blood bag. 

“Finally! It’s time to witness the miracle!” After ten test tubes were filled with pink liquids, Danielle added a drop of vervain into each, her eyes stared at them the whole time. 

Three seconds later, the solution in one of the test tubes turned black.

“Gotcha!” Danielle exclaimed as she rubbed her hands with glee.   
~~~~~~~~~~  
“Good afternoon, Mrs Payne.” Zayn greeted as the door swung open. 

“Oh, come on in, Zayn,” Mrs Payne smiled as she put a pair of slippers onto the floor, “I have been wanting to thank you for peer tutoring Liam but I never had a chance. Now peer tutoring has turned into home tutoring. You have to stay for dinner!”

“I’m glad. Thanks, Mrs Payne.” Zayn’s politeness broadened Mrs Payne’s smile. 

“Liam’s upstairs, probably listening to his obnoxious music. I don’t know what happened to the pop music nowadays. They are nothing but rhythms and beats.” Mrs Payne complained as he led Zayn to Liam’s room. Immediately greeting the two was a Liam bobbing his head to the tempo of Sexy and I Know It. 

“Honey, Zayn’s here.” 

Zayn could hear the music loud and clear even though Liam’s wearing a head phone. Liam’s hands started drumming on his table. 

“HONEY! ZAYN’S HERE!” Mrs Payne jerked the headphone from Liam’s ears and shouted. It startled Liam as he immediately sat up straight and looked back at Zayn. 

“Hi, Zayn.” Liam greeted as he switched off his iPod, “Sorry, I did not expect you to come so soon. I just had lunch, you know.” Zayn failed to suppress his chuckle seeing Liam’s amusing awkwardness. 

“Just? You’ve been slacking for one hour and a half already! ” Mrs Payne protested as she snatched away Liam’s iPod and headphone, “Now it’s study time!” Liam’s cheeks puffed up like a baby when Zayn slumped a stack of Chemistry notes in front of him. 

Mrs Payne nodded and said, “You’d better buckle down to hard work, Liam. I will make you guys some lemonade to refresh your bright minds.”  
~~~~~~~~~~  
After two hours of tormenting revision and a giant jar of lemonade down the stomach, Liam finally slumped his body on the bed as they finished Organic and Inorganic Chemistry. 

“I swear, that’s the longest period I have studied continuously.” Liam confessed, “I’m overwhelmed! ”

“Shall we go out and blow away the cobwebs, then?” Zayn suggested.

“Yeah!” Invigorated, Liam bolted up and slapped Zayn on the shoulder, “Let’s run!”

Running gear on. Earplugs in. Liam and Zayn were ready to go. As a boxer and a former cross-country school team member, Liam thought if there was one thing he is better than Zayn, it would be his physical ability. So he jogged forward, not running at his full speed. However, ten minutes has passed. He did not hear Zayn pant or see him sweat profusely like amateurs.

“Wow, you must been exercising regularly. Shall we step it up, then?” Liam complimented and accelerated, naively believe that he could outrun a supernatural. 

“Sure.” 

Another twenty minutes elapsed. Sweat start oozing out from Liam’s forehead as he started panting. But Zayn’s face was only covered in a thin veil of sweat. 

“You are really good, Zayn. I mean you should join the cross country team.” Liam took a moment to catch his breath and said. 

Another twenty minutes later, Liam started to lag behind Zayn. Now it’s Zayn who had to slow down to match Liam’s speed. His body was slick with sweat. His breaths were ragged. His heart was racing. The more Liam tried to overtook Zayn, the sorer his legs felt. He could not imagine that a cross country and boxing champion was beaten by a skinny boy with poor blood circulation. 

As the two turned right around a building at the end of the road, Liam, eyes fixated on Zayn, suddenly tripped over an elevated curb. Out of balance, Liam’s body plummeted and hurled forward as his arms windmilled drastically, thanks to inertia. In that instant, he thought the tragedy of the staircase would be repeated. His eyes involuntarily shut as his body was close to the ground. 

All of a sudden, Liam felt a violent pull on his abdomen by a strong hand as if the gravity had been reversed. The next thing he knew, his back thudded against Zayn’s chest and his body was firmly locked in Zayn’s embrace. Liam’s breaths were trembling. His head turned and his eyes gazed at Zayn in disbelief. He had not even realised that Zayn had saved him when his heart hammered harder and harder against his ribcage. 

A heavy dose of adrenaline and a chemical he could name coursed through Liam’s veins. Liam was startled. Liam was confused. This feeling he felt towards Zayn was such an alien one. He knew it was much stronger than gratitude and friendship. He had a sudden inclination to remove the space between Zayn and him. He wished Zayn would never let go on the firm grip on his waist. He wished they could stay in this moment forever.

“Th...thanks, Zayn.” Liam muttered incoherently as he swallowed. He had no idea whether he was still reeling from the shock or it was because Zayn had inched closer. 

“Liam, with me, I will never let you fall.” Zayn confessed with candor, his eyes full of longing. Zayn’s words made Liam’s lips quiver. 

Slowly, Zayn moved up his hand that was not holding Liam and caressed Liam’s cheeks. Liam drew in a hurried breath as Zayn’s finger brushed across his face - so soft, so gentle, so intoxicating. His heart ached for more but his body was as rigid as a timid little lamb. Zayn moved closer and closer and tilted his head. He knew too well what Zayn was about to do. However, just as their lips were only one inch away, Liam gripped Zayn by his wrists and stopped him. Another instinct kicked in.

“Wh...what are we doing?” Liam pushed Zayn further away, but there was no blame or anger in his voice. All these happened to fast for Liam to register. His heart was urging him to soldier on but his brain was telling another story. It was just not the right time.

“Yeah, what are we doing?” Zayn echoed Liam as he laughed a mirthless laugh to assuage his embarrassment and disappointment. “I think we should...we should go back.” Zayn was dismayed that Liam was scared of following his heart. On the other hand, now he was convinced that Liam felt the same way as he did. That was a great achievement.

Exhausted, they began to stroll back home. For ten minutes, neither said anything. There were only several exchanges of looks. Finally, Liam broke the silence, “Hey, Zayn, you wanna lie down and rest for a while?”

“That’d be great, Liam.” 

“Zayn, do you know why I liked running so much?”

“Why?”

“Because I used to do that a lot with my father. We got to spend lots of quality time together when I was little. Every morning before we had breakfast, we would take a jog in a park nearby our apartment. He even got me a tiny running gear for my tenth birthday. I really missed those days. However, when he became a manager of an international corporation, he traveled a lot and was practically never home. That’s why my parents’ marriage was nearly finished. When my father filed for a divorce, he just delivered the paperworks without even seeing my mother! That’s when I stepped in. I flied to the US to find him and brought him back home. He finally apologized to my mom and they buried the hatchet.” Liam felt safe sharing things about his family with Zayn. Zayn tilted his head and listened attentively.

“Liam. You are such an amazing son. Your mother must be very proud of you.” Liam beamed at Zayn on hearing his compliment. “You know, the problem that your father face is commonplace in modern society. Maintaining a work-life balance has become increasingly challenging with exceedingly heavy workload. It is a trade-off. A lucrative job tends to be time-consuming and energy-sapping. When work encroaches on personal time, it can be detrimental not only to health but to family cohesion as well. Perhaps your father is under great stress and is not as culpable for destroying your family as you think he is.”

“Wow. Thanks, Zayn. You are so smart. For all these years my mother and I have been blaming my father for not spending enough time with us. We never thought it could be the society’s fault. My father is also a victim.” Liam had a sudden epiphany, “It’s always so nice talking to you.”

“Pleasure is mine.” 

The evening in the country side was picturesque. The birds chirping by. The clouds drifting in the expanse of the azure sky. The green lawn with no end in sight. The gentle breeze caressing their cheeks as they lay next to each other. With no one to disturb them. With no stress from school work or competing for popularity. This is their wonderland. This is a world that only belonged to themselves.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Danielle carefully removed with a pair of tweezers the label from the test tube in which the solution turned pitch black. She sticked it on a piece of paper before checking it against the list of serial numbers. 

“BTF0130 is the one.” Danielle asserted with utter seriousness, “Quick, find out who it is!”

Danielle leant in front of Zayn’s laptop as he scrolled down the document passed a few names, including Zayn’s. As Danielle saw what was written in the “Name” blank beside BTF0130, her jaws dropped. 

“Dracula? What the... His name is Dracula???” Danielle threw her arms up and rolled her eyes back in disbelief. 

“There is no doubt that the document has been tempered with.” Zayn deduced as he turned to face an exasperated Danielle, detecting only disappointment but no suspicion. 

And yes it HAD! A sense of pride welled up inside Zayn as Danielle was on the verge of yanking her hair. Even if for now Danielle perceived Zayn as an friend, he knew such an alliance could disintegrate at any time should she found out about Zayn’s secret. No, secrets. Knowing his identity and hitting on her boyfriend seemed to have no difference- both would undoubtedly terminate him.  
~~~~~~~~~~  
“Good afternoon, Mrs Payne.” The door swung open to reveal a smart-looking Zayn in a brown sweater. 

“Good afternoon, sweety. Liam’s right upstairs. Look for him in his room. I am in the middle of some housework.” Mrs Payne smiled radiantly and pointed to the staircase leading to the second floor, “Oh, you have to stay for dinner later. I insist.”

“I’d love to. Thanks, Mrs Payne.” Zayn nodded politely before strolling up the stairs. He thought of what Liam would be doing at that time. Listening to the music was one possibility. But most likely the dork would be sound asleep with saliva dribbling down his cheeks. The very contemplation produced a chuckle he forgot to suppress. 

The door to Liam’s bedroom was locked. Zayn could not hear any music or Liam’s typically loud snorting (often found in Mrs Morgan’s class). His gentle knocks on the door were uncannily loud. 

“Liam? May I come in?” Zayn whispered as he twisted the doorknobs and tiptoed in. As it turned out, Liam was not in his room, unlike what Mrs Payne said. 

Where is him? Zayn wondered as he looked around the corridor. Never mind, I’ll just wait in the room. He must have gone to the toilet so something. Zayn thought to himself, plonked his backpack to the floor and started reading Physics. Normally, concentrating on the reading material was a breeze, but today, in Liam’s room, Zayn found it hard to resist the temptation of rummaging around. He was aware of the immorality of his actions, but he did not have enough time to look around during his previous visits. Every little item in Liam’s room had a story. That was why Zayn wanted to find out; he wanted to know Liam better. 

Unlike his thoughts, Liam’s desktop was neat and tidy. Lining up in height order were his textbooks, novels and binders of assorted colors. At the end of the line stood his family picture. Not a single grain of dust could found on its frame; Liam, or Mrs Payne, must have been cleaning it quite often. 

Liam still had not showed up. What was taking him so long?

Despite Liam’s absence, Zayn instinctively took a look around before opening Liam’s drawer, only to find a medium-sized notebook with a “Diary” scribbled cursively on its cover. After some initial hesitation, Zayn summoned his courage and flipped it open. Unsurprisingly, the name Danielle had the most frequent appearance. Every Liam’s account of his dates with Danielle fomented Zayn’s jealousy. How he wished it was him! As Zayn scanned through the pages, he was getting more and more demoralized - one love story after another convinced him of Liam’s straightness. A mixture of disappointment and envy bubbled inside him. That was, until he saw the entries after Liam’s two-week hospitalization. 

Oct 15th 

Today I had a big fight with Danielle. She was really mean. When Zayn was choking, she did not help him. She even poured water onto his face. I didn’t understand why she did that. Did she hate Zayn? I mean Zayn had always been a good friend. He even brought chicken soup to help me recover. I had not really got a chance to thank him properly, but when he sat beside me. When he held my hand, somehow I felt that we are more than friends. I have no idea what it was. It just felt good. Awkward, but good. (A smiley face) God, what am I writing? We are just friends... Nothing more. 

Oct 22th

Having Zayn as my private tutor is magical. He really helped me a lot with my academics. After all he is the smartest student I have ever met. My mom seemed to like him, too. Today was the first time he came over to my house and the session was rather productive. I had never studied for so long in my entire life, even though sometimes I was staring at his long eyelashes. They are really long! After that we went for a jog. I could not believe be could outrun me. Why was he not in the school cross country team? Zayn is really full of wonders! Also, it felt wonderful lying beside him after we warmed down. I shared with him my secrets about my father and he was such a good listener. He was an understanding friend!

Zayn was grinning from ear to ear as he read the more recent entries. It seemed he was gaining territories in his heart. However, just as he was about to read another diary, he heard the doorknob turning with a crisp click. 

Shit! Liam’s back!

Zayn snapped the diary shut and stuffed it into the drawer. He quickly turned around and pushed the drawer with his butt to disguise his invasion of privacy. Unfortunately, what he saw added to the adrenaline in his body. 

Liam was completely nude. Every inch of his perfect skin, every fiber of his rippling muscles and every strand of curly body hair was under Zayn’s scrutiny. Zayn was paralyzed by shock. His breathing halted. His muscles tensed up. He felt blood rushing to an embarrassing part of his body as his pupils dilated with delight. However guilty, Zayn could not help moving his eyes down to Liam’s loin, awestruck by the magnificence of the scenery. He wanted to scream. He wanted to shout. But it was as if he had been switched to silent mode, unable to make a sound. He raveled in Liam’s unbelievably incredible physique. 

Liam was oblivious of Zayn’s presence at first. A towel obstructed his detection of another man in he room. He was even singing a tune. However, as he removed the veil of towel from his eyes, he immediately yelped, “What the hell, Zayn!” Quick as a flash, he turned to his back and wrapped the bath towel around his waist. 

Seeing Liam’s butt “elevated” Zayn’s embarrassment.

“Why are you always here early, Zayn?” 

“Why are you naked when you get out of shower? It’s almost winter!”

“Well, I forgot to bring clothes to the bathroom. Plus, I don’t feel cold. I am strong.” Liam retorted as he pointed in the direction of the corridor, “Now would you excuse me? I need to get dressed.”

A door slammed shut in front of Zayn’s face. Zayn was still reeling from the shock. A sinister smile appeared on his face. He could never get that image out of his head and he was pretty sure his teenage dreams would just get sweeter now that he saw the real thing.  
~~~~~~~~~~  
“I must warn you to deliberate on every step of the procedure. This qualitative analysis practical carries twenty percent of the total marks for your final grade. Goggles must be worn. Absolutely no talking. Even uttering a single word will be deemed as an dishonest act. If you want a flat out zero, try me.” Mrs Morgan instructed as she tapped the clipboard in her hands and scanned the whole class with her piercing eyes. “Your one hour and thirty minutes starts now!”

Silence permeated the room as Mrs Morgan click on her stopwatch. Having no time to waste, students began skimming through the instructions and fiddling with the apparatus. The occasional clinking of test tubes immediately drew the attention of Mrs Morgan who monitored any damage. Liam grabbed his test tubes tightly as if they were tiny infants. He was afraid that any breakage would cost him credits. 

Unlike his lab partner, the Zayn beside him tested reagents with remarkable dexterity. His face was rapt with attention. Every measurement was precise and not a single drop of solution could be spotted on the table.

“Liam? Why are you staring at another candidate? Are you trying to copy his work?” 

Mrs Morgan’s sudden warning smashed the silence and threw Liam off guard. He felt his grip on the test tube loosening. Shit! Quick as a reflex, Liam dived down his hands in an attempt to rescue the solution, only to knock over two more bottles. 

The smashing of the test tube filled the room. Next was Zayn’s shriek. The two solutions, one of which marked con. H2SO4, spilled and splashed onto Zayn’s arms. Mrs Morgan drew in a hurried breath as the clipboard slipped to the floor. “Dear Lord!”

Liam stood frozen to the spot, taken aback by the series of tragedies happening before him. He did not know what else to do. Even if he did something, it would most probably make things worse. Gone were marks and probably his relationship\friendship with Zayn. 

Gritting his teeth, Zayn removed his shirt soaked with solutions and turned on the faucet, rinsing his arm with the water flow. He always thought of solutions and took action even in the most frightening circumstances. Remaining calm is crucial for the supernatural; the only way to protect your cover is to act natural. Mrs Morgan passed Liam some sodium carbonate solution to neutralized the acid on his arm while staring hatefully at Liam. “How could you be so clumsy, Mr Payne? This is an examination, for god’s sake!”

Everyone’s attention was devoted to the drama among the three. No one noticed the little bottle rolling towards the front of the lab. Its label read AgNO3(silver nitrate).


End file.
